A dizzying mix of Europe and Latin America, colonial and contemporary, laid-back and fast-paced, Buenos Aires has a buzz all its own. In recent years, forward-thinking gallery directors, hoteliers, and chefs have reinvigorated the city with innovative projects, from the contemporary Faena Arts Center, in Puerto Madero, to the wine-themed Mío Buenos Aires hotel, in tony Recoleta. And with much-touted dance and music festivals on the horizon (including next month’s tango celebration), the stylish capital is now more appealing than ever. Buenos Aires at your fingertips? Look no further.

Hotel Club Francés: Since its opening in 1866, the storied French Club has drawn generations of politicians and writers. While the city’s intelligentsia still congregates at the lobby bar, the upper floor was recently turned into a 28-room hotel filled with antiques and period furniture. Best For: Travelers with a passion for history. $$$

Buenos Aires: See + Do

A tour of the city’s art and historical gems for culture hounds.

Housed in a renovated grain mill, the just-opened Faena Arts Center(1169 Aimé Painé) is a cathedral-size museum dedicated to works by artists such as Cuban duo Dagoberto Rodríguez and Marco Castillo, who are known as Los Carpinteros.

Swing by Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires(350 Avda. San Juan) to see 20th-century pieces in the industrial and video arts. Highlights include Antonio Seguí silk-screen prints and Alberto Heredia sculptures.

Ruth Benzacar, in Retiro, is a must for lovers of avant-garde art. The spacious gallery showcases the best from both emerging and established Argentine artists (Flavia Da Rim and Miguel Ángel RÍos, to name two).

At Malba, you’ll find a permanent collection of more than 500 paintings, sculptures, and objects from top Latin American talent. There’s also a screening room that showcases independent films.

Buenos Aires: Eat

For years, only fishermen could access the jetty that juts from the Avenida Costanera into the Río de la Plata. This changed with the opening of El Muelle, an excellent seafood spot on the pier that quickly won a loyal following with salads of fresh king crab and grilled wreckfish. Avda. Costanera Rafael Obligado and Avda. Sarmiento.$$$

Chef Diego Gera whips up intensely flavored signature dishes such as crisp-skinned suckling pig paired with quince purée at the purple-hued Leopoldo, in Palermo. After dinner, head to the restaurant’s patio for cocktails and live DJ music. 3732 Avda. Cerviño.$$$

Buenos Aires: Local Take

Three insiders share their favorite places in the city.

Alejandro Digilio

Chef, La Vinería de Gualterio BolívarSan Telmo was pretty rough around the edges until a decade ago. Around that time tourists began discovering the area’s hidden jewels. The antiques stores on Defensa and the retro housewares at Cualquier Verdura(517 Humberto Primo) are fun to browse, but I also love what’s left of old San Telmo: the covered, 19th-century Mercado de San Telmo and the café Aconcagua(502 Estados Unidos; 54-11/4362-3826; $), a spot for the old guys from the barrio.

Gabriela Horvat

Jewelry designerI live near the Paraná River delta in Tigre, a 30-minute drive from downtown Buenos Aires. Every morning I take my dog for a walk on the riverbank Paseo Victorica. Afternoon tea on the veranda at the Tigre Boat Club is lovely; you can watch hundred-year-old boats on the water. For a culture fix, go to the restored Museo de Arte Tigre(972 Paseo Victorica), which features Argentinean paintings from the late 19th through the 20th century.

Aldo Graziani

Sommelier, Aldo’sI opened the bar Tercer Tiempo in the late eighties, when Palermo was mostly residential. These days the neighborhood is full of hip spots. For lunch, locals go to La Pulpería (1667 Uriarte; 54-11/4833-6039; $$), an old-fashioned diner that serves a delicious oyster-mushroom sandwich. Nearby, Bolivia(1581 Gurruchaga; 54-11/4832-6284) stocks a great selection of men’s clothing, from casual floral-print shirts to slim-fitting suits. Come nighttime, I love Mundo Bizarro(1222 Serrano; 54-11/4773-1967), a cocktail lounge with a great rock-and-roll vibe.

Tango Beats

Sharpen your milonga moves with our dance-filled itinerary.

2 p.m.: Book a class at the salon Confitería Ideal, in a grand 1912 mansion in Microcentro.